A TOWN'S newly-elected mayor for the year will be serving for the second time in 10 years.Peter Matthews, 49, was mayor from May 1998 to May 1999.Deputy mayor will be Eileen Banks and both were elected at the annual town meeting.

A TOWN'S newly-elected mayor for the year will be serving for the second time in 10 years.

Peter Matthews, 49, was mayor from May 1998 to May 1999.

Deputy mayor will be Eileen Banks and both were elected at the annual town meeting.

Mr Matthews, who is married to Hilary and has two teenage children, Jenna, 18, and Michael, 13.

The family has lived in Hadleigh for about 15 years.

Mr Matthews, who is also chairman of the town's newly-formed entertainments committee, said its population had expanded dramatically in the last decade as more and more new housing had been built.

This meant that there were many more younger families in Hadleigh and it was important to look at the facilities available, particularly for young people, to meet changing needs.

One of his main concerns during his mayoral year, he said, would be to build on the successes of the entertainments committee, which ran a very successful Christmas entertainment and street fair last winter as its first venture.

He said: "We would like to get more people to take an active part in what goes on. The committee has been a good step forward and people of all walks of life have come forward to help.

"Now I think we need to build on that."

Mr Matthews said he had not yet made a final decision on his choice of mayoral charities for his year in office but one would certainly be in the field of research in to heart conditions.